1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a through metal communication system that sends messages by tapping on metal barriers, such as pipelines, bulkheads, and the like. The messages are retrieved by a remote transducer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The tap code is a way to encode messages, letter by letter, in a very simple way and transmit it using a series of tap sounds, hence its name. It has been commonly used by prisoners to communicate with each other. The method of communicating is usually by “tapping” either the metal bars, pipes or the walls inside the cell.
The tap code is based on a 5×5 grid of letters, representing all the letters of the Latin alphabet except K (C is used to represent K). Each letter is communicated by tapping two numbers, the first designating the row (horizontal) and the second designating the column (vertical). The letter “X” is used to break up sentences. The tap code requires the listener to only discriminate the timing of the taps to isolate letters. For example, to specify the letter “A”, one taps once, pause, and then taps once again.
Robotic exploration for maintenance, repair, etc., in a ship or on an oil rig requires some means of communication for the robot to describe its findings. The problem. is that in such environments it is not always easy to send an electromagnetic signal to convey the robot's findings. Radio frequency (wireless) is not a solution because of the material of the pipes (metal).
Thus, a through metal communication system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.